I think its great there is decent variety in the Pet Trade. With that said what species that are ether absent or only present on a small basis do you feel could be utilized successfully on a much wider basis and why? I want to hear your thoughts and opinions on mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles ect. in addition to fish. I know a lot of pet Stores are interested in expanding their selection so what would you like to see them start carrying or carrying more of?
New/Underutilized Species in the Exotic Pet trade
- Thread starter nancyw
- Start date
I rarely see marbled gobies and ompok catfish in stores. Cool little guys.
I never see water snakes, but i find them easily and cheaply($30) online, so why not in stores? They fascinate me
I never see water snakes, but i find them easily and cheaply($30) online, so why not in stores? They fascinate me
less is more.. I'de rather see them tell people the truth about these animals.. not just what they will "survive" but how to actually allow them to thrive. ie.. Oscars need a tank bigger then a 29gal, Guinie pigs NEED a vitamin C suppliment, Ferrets will kill your pet ( insert warm and fuzzy) because that is what weasels do, Cockatoos NEED 24/7 care and are like having a Child permanently. and basic feeding and husbandry practices that for so long have been "well this food is the cheapest..." or "You can get away with..." I could go on.. and on... So many exotics in many countries not just the US get a bad wrap because nobody wants to actually teach sound practices and petstores are only about making the mighty dollar ( which its a business ect.. but it hurts their entire foundation) Exotic pets are getting increasngly expensive.. and many are traded on the black market despite regulations... Once the exotic indusrty as a whole accepts that this is more detrimental, and the crazy PETA people back off abit from their holy crusade... ( which they won't until all pets are banned, thus causing the extinction of everything thats not intended for food or other indusrtial use. IMO)
my personal favorite pets on a pet trade level include..
parakeets/cockatiels ( they are small enough to easily house, breed readily, and are in general good companion pets but do not "rely" on their owners)
Rats ( they are smart, easily bred, bond with their owners and are usually much more friendly then hamsters or gerbils ime)
Leopard/fat-tail geckos. (these are both ideal pets for older children and are easily kept and again bred in captivity reach manageable sizes and are docile in general)
Fish are on a compleately different set to me.. as its more about building a balanced system adding the right fish to the rigth set-up. starting with tank size.. then a single species.. and building upon this foundation. 1 gallon or 1k gallons...
Like most "avid hobbyists" i go either threw the importers or speciltiy shops for my needs.. a typical LFS or LPS isn't going to have the knowledge/funds/hook-ups to get me what i want as a reasonable price. a regular lfs/lps that tries to bring in exotics will fail horribly unless they already have a clientel that trusts what comes from the store. I've worked in lfs/lps for the past 15yrs on and off.. priate/corporate.. you name it.. the one thing that won't sell a 1k exotic is a "salesman" who is BSing the customer, or is ignorant. You only get so many ignorant people dropping that kinda money once in a blue moon.. and then your rep gets trashed because the exotic ends up dead.. which is generally why these animals are expensive to begin with. Its a viciouse cycle Ive seen more then one lfs do.
my personal favorite pets on a pet trade level include..
parakeets/cockatiels ( they are small enough to easily house, breed readily, and are in general good companion pets but do not "rely" on their owners)
Rats ( they are smart, easily bred, bond with their owners and are usually much more friendly then hamsters or gerbils ime)
Leopard/fat-tail geckos. (these are both ideal pets for older children and are easily kept and again bred in captivity reach manageable sizes and are docile in general)
Fish are on a compleately different set to me.. as its more about building a balanced system adding the right fish to the rigth set-up. starting with tank size.. then a single species.. and building upon this foundation. 1 gallon or 1k gallons...
Like most "avid hobbyists" i go either threw the importers or speciltiy shops for my needs.. a typical LFS or LPS isn't going to have the knowledge/funds/hook-ups to get me what i want as a reasonable price. a regular lfs/lps that tries to bring in exotics will fail horribly unless they already have a clientel that trusts what comes from the store. I've worked in lfs/lps for the past 15yrs on and off.. priate/corporate.. you name it.. the one thing that won't sell a 1k exotic is a "salesman" who is BSing the customer, or is ignorant. You only get so many ignorant people dropping that kinda money once in a blue moon.. and then your rep gets trashed because the exotic ends up dead.. which is generally why these animals are expensive to begin with. Its a viciouse cycle Ive seen more then one lfs do.
Common bullhead catfish...could ne a great addition to many predatory tanks...ive never seen one at a lfs....just my two cents...
Sent from my MB855 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Sent from my MB855 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
I would like to see more "beginner friendly" species & less "advanced keepers only" species in stores as there are way too many "advanced" species being sold to those that shouldn't have them, e.g. pacus for 55 gallon aquarium.
You never see water snakes, and you live in Florida?
Those things are every where down there!
You never see water snakes, and you live in Florida?
Those things are every where down there!
Here's my choices
1. Sunfish- I understand these are probably widely available in the USA but there is little availability here in Canada (at least my part). You can only get Longears and our local shop has only got them in about once in the last 5 years so I would like to see a bit more availability and maybe more types. they have had requests for them so there is some demand. They are a colorful hardy, interesting fish and it would be great to actually be able to get them.
2.Rosy Bitterling- Very low availability here, only a couple of stores can get them on a seasonal basis and they are pretty expensive. from what I have read on some other sites avilability in many parts of the states isn't great ether So it would be great if more stores carried them.They are another nice, colorful, hardy fish which would probably sell if more widely available.
3.Edible Dormouse-Pretty much no availability in North America at all, very popular pet overseas, easy to care for. Has a pet history dating back to the Roman Empire.
4.Virginia Opossum-Some availability in States, none here.Would appeal to people who work during the day and are home at night (given its nocturnal habits), can be trained to use a litterbox
5. Viscachas- Little availability in North America, kept as a pet in South America. It would be a nice change for people who have already had Rabbits and Chinchillas. Stands the cold better then Chinchillas.A few years ago when stores up here started carrying Degus (another South American mammal) they proved quite popular so they could capitalize on this popularity.
6. Maras and Tuco Tuco- Most of my remarks for the previous hold true though there may be a bit more availability of Maras
7. Patagonia Sierra Finch-No or very little availability. Bright color diverse diet and not at risk in native range (easier to obtain). Would be a nice addition to currently available Finchs.
8. Steppe Lemming- Fairly popular overseas, very limited availability in USA.Fluffy gentle Rodent.
9. Wall Lizards-Limited avilability. Fairly tame, hardy (no heat lamp needed generally)
10. Austral Parakeet-Limited Availability. Colorful, not at risk in native range (easier to bring into trade), popular pet elsewhere.
1. Sunfish- I understand these are probably widely available in the USA but there is little availability here in Canada (at least my part). You can only get Longears and our local shop has only got them in about once in the last 5 years so I would like to see a bit more availability and maybe more types. they have had requests for them so there is some demand. They are a colorful hardy, interesting fish and it would be great to actually be able to get them.
2.Rosy Bitterling- Very low availability here, only a couple of stores can get them on a seasonal basis and they are pretty expensive. from what I have read on some other sites avilability in many parts of the states isn't great ether So it would be great if more stores carried them.They are another nice, colorful, hardy fish which would probably sell if more widely available.
3.Edible Dormouse-Pretty much no availability in North America at all, very popular pet overseas, easy to care for. Has a pet history dating back to the Roman Empire.
4.Virginia Opossum-Some availability in States, none here.Would appeal to people who work during the day and are home at night (given its nocturnal habits), can be trained to use a litterbox
5. Viscachas- Little availability in North America, kept as a pet in South America. It would be a nice change for people who have already had Rabbits and Chinchillas. Stands the cold better then Chinchillas.A few years ago when stores up here started carrying Degus (another South American mammal) they proved quite popular so they could capitalize on this popularity.
6. Maras and Tuco Tuco- Most of my remarks for the previous hold true though there may be a bit more availability of Maras
7. Patagonia Sierra Finch-No or very little availability. Bright color diverse diet and not at risk in native range (easier to obtain). Would be a nice addition to currently available Finchs.
8. Steppe Lemming- Fairly popular overseas, very limited availability in USA.Fluffy gentle Rodent.
9. Wall Lizards-Limited avilability. Fairly tame, hardy (no heat lamp needed generally)
10. Austral Parakeet-Limited Availability. Colorful, not at risk in native range (easier to bring into trade), popular pet elsewhere.